any of several large saturniid moths with eyelike markings on each wing, esp Saturnia pavonia of Europe
See also giant peacock moth
3. purple emperor
Derived forms
emperorship (ˈemperorˌship)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French empereor, from Latin imperātor commander-in-chief, from imperāre to command, from im- + parāre to make ready
emperor moth in American English
noun
any of several large saturniid moths, esp Saturnia pavonia of temperate forests in Europe and Asia, characterized by heavily scaled wings with large, transparent eyespots
Word origin
[1865–70]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: black belt, dunk, springboard, tick-tack-toe, valence
Examples of 'emperor moth' in a sentence
emperor moth
Look out for skylarks, golden plover and the beautiful emperor moth, whose wingspan can reach 10cm.